Nabataean letter samekh

It is a consonant letter used to write words.

𐢖 is the Nabataean samekh, also called simkath. Nabataean was a right-to-left abjad, a writing system that chiefly records consonants. In transliteration, which represents letters from one script with letters from another, samekh is usually written as Latin s. Nabataean writing generally distinguishes samekh from another letter called shin, though occasional interchange leaves the exact ancient sound uncertain.

The Nabataean script developed from Aramaic and was used from the second century BCE to the fourth century CE. It appears in inscriptions, documents, and public texts. Later cursive Nabataean forms contributed to the development of Arabic writing. Hebrew ס is a related samekh in another script.

Why doesn't Nabataean text connect like an inscription?

Typed Nabataean does not automatically reproduce inscriptional joining.

Historical inscriptions include irregular ligatures: connected forms used in particular instances. Unicode 17.0 specifies no joining behavior for typed Nabataean, so 𐢖 stays a separate character. A font can show its letterform, but it cannot recreate an individual stone or papyrus hand. If the character appears as a box, the selected font may lack Nabataean coverage.

How do I type 𐢖?

Use hexadecimal Unicode input in a compatible text field.

As of 2026, Microsoft Word converts 10896 to 𐢖 when you press Alt+X; supported GTK text fields accept Ctrl+Shift+U, then 10896, then Enter. A font with Nabataean coverage is needed to display the character.